External drainage devices are commonly attached to a patient's body following surgery. For example after operations performed on a breast cancer patient's breast(s), the operating physician often inserts a drainage tube near the operated areas of the patient's breast to reduce accumulations of post-operative fluids, such as blood, lymph or other bodily fluid, during the convalescence period. The tubes are typically not removed until the drainage output falls to below a predetermined volume per day, such as to below 30 ccs (1 fluid oz).
Generally, these external tubes, often made of rubber or plastic, are secured at one end to a patient's body only by sutures. The other end of the tube is typically connected to a drainage reservoir or container, such as a Jackson-Pratt drain or bulb drain. As such, movements of the tubes can cause tugging or even tearing of the connecting sutures resulting in pain, discomfort or serious injury to the patient. The container's weight and tendency to swing when the patient moves or breathes often exerts detrimental force on the tubes, further delaying the patient's recovery.
To reduce the adverse impacts, patients are asked to restrain the container's movement. One approach is for the patients to hold the container by hand, which reduces the availability of their hands for every day usage. Other approaches include the securing of the container or the tubes to the patient's clothing or hospital gown via a safety pin. These methods leave a large portion of the drainage tubes exposed and thus prone to impact or entanglements with door knobs, handles or other protruding objects, resulting in tugging or tearing of the connecting sutures. In addition, during activities which require both the removal of a patient's garments and the use of patient's hands, such as showering, the patients are often forced to once again, resort to holding the container. Holding the drains makes hands unavailable for bathing and safeguarding against slippage, increasing the patients' risk of shower-related injuries.
Further, when a medical practitioner attaches the container to the patient's clothing or hospital gown, there is a risk that the patient's skin will accidentally be punctured by a safety pin during attachment. Such puncture wounds can be life-threatening if bodily fluid from the injury is transmitted to a medical practitioner. A puncture resulting from a safety pin can increase the risk of infection or the transmission of a blood-borne disease, such as hepatitis or human immunodeficiency virus. Urgent measures must be taken to mitigate the transmission of infections to the patient from the open wound. All needle stick emergency plans can be instituted, yet physical and/or emotional harm can result from the injury.
In pediatric medicine, a safety pin is the current standard of care for securing a Jackson-Pratt drain. This method, already risky, presents more dangers to children than adults. For example, a child may suffer internal bleeding if the safety pin is swallowed. Injury could result from a child who plays with the pin and accidentally scratches or punctures his or her eye. Therefore, it would be beneficial to avoid the use of a safety pin when securing a drain to a patient.
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, there is a need for providing improved mobility, reduced inconveniences, and reduced risk of bodily harm to both medical practitioners and patients with externally attached drainage containers or devices. There is currently a shirt with pockets placed and sized to hold external tubes for female patients following a mastectomy. But the need for such a garment is not limited to patients who have undergone this type of procedure. Both male and female patients who have undergone abdominal surgery, chest cavity surgery, plastic surgery, and many other types of invasive surgery need a method of holding drainage devices that is safer, more comfortable, and more convenient.